North Carolina Silences Doubters with a Record-Breaking March Madness Blowout
For a team that spent Selection Sunday sweating bullets, the North Carolina Tar Heels wasted no time proving why they belong in the Big Dance. From uncertainty to utter dominance, UNC’s journey in the NCAA tournament has already become one of the most thrilling storylines of March Madness.
After a nerve-wracking wait to hear their name called, UNC, the final team to make the field, was greeted with skepticism and controversy. A 1-12 record against Quadrant 1 opponents? An unpopular at-large bid? Bracketologists and critics alike were howling. But instead of wilting under the pressure, the Tar Heels responded with a historic beatdown, thrashing San Diego State 95-68 in Dayton.
If there was ever a way to send a message, this was it.
UNC didn’t just win; they obliterated. **A 20-2 first-half run. A 47-23 halftime lead. 14 three-pointers—**the most the Heels have ever hit in an NCAA tournament game. And at the center of it all? RJ Davis, who went 6-for-6 from deep, setting a new program record in the process.
“It’s a surreal moment,” Davis said. “You grow up watching North Carolina, dreaming of these moments, and now you’re the one making history. It’s just different when it happens in March.”
For all the talk about UNC not deserving a bid, they left no doubt on the court. San Diego State, a team that played for a national title last year and hadn’t allowed 80 points in a game all season, got run out of the gym.
The statement win sets up a Friday showdown with No. 6 seed Ole Miss in Milwaukee—practically a homecoming for sophomore Seth Trimble, who hails from nearby Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
“We never cared about the outside noise,” Trimble said. “We know who we are, and we know what we’re capable of.”
That’s the type of belief that has powered First Four teams to deep tournament runs before—just ask VCU in 2011 or UCLA in 2021, both of whom made it all the way to the Final Four. Could North Carolina be next?
With their backs against the wall, the Heels just delivered one of the most dominant First Four performances in NCAA tournament history. And if they keep playing like this, the critics might just have to eat their words.
